Company will help finance new road

In what he called an economic development measure for southeastern Dewey County, the executive director of Circuit Engineering District No. 7 says he’s negotiating an agreement with a frac sand mining company to help build an eight-mile road northwest of Fay.
Monte Goucher made his announcement at the April 24 meeting of the CED 7 board of directors. He declined to name the company at this time.
“They’re going to invest some money to get the road up to speed,” he said. “We’re negotiating a long-term maintenance agreement to work with the county to maintain that eight miles.”
Goucher said it will be similar to deals worked out in the past with companies locating wind farms in the 11-county CED 7 district.
“We’ve been able to collect over $10 million to help counties maintain roads,” he said of the wind-farm deals. “We’re looking at expanding that to different kinds of commercial operations.”
Goucher said the frac sand company is wanting to stay low profile at this point, and that’s why he can’t name it yet.
“As Dewey County’s engineer, they reached out to me to provide engineering and design the road,” he said. “The company will be investing money to get it built. It’s a joint effort. It’s economic development to get this company in here and provide them a way to operate.”
He said CED 7 has to be creative.
“This company is going to come here with equipment and money,” he said. “We hope to get a designated schedule. First is how to build the road; then we need a plan for improving and maintaining it over the next 20 to 30 years.”
The frac sand, which is used by drillers in fracking operations for oil and gas wells, apparently will come from somewhere along the South Canadian River which flows through that part of Dewey County and on through the northeastern part of Custer County.
Asked when the operation might get started, Goucher said sometime in the next three to six months. “They’re telling me they want to be in operation in six months,” he said.
Goucher emphasized that this is not government regulation.
“We’re just trying to reach out and form a partnership to maintain good roads,” he said.
Rupert Irving is the District 2 county commissioner in whose jurisdiction the road will be built.